Filia's Best Christmas Pageant Ever
by TheGuineapig3
Summary: [Parody AU] When suburban single-mom, Filia Ul Copt, is asked to direct her church's annual Christmas pageant, an unfortunate misunderstanding puts her in charge of the town's most notorious grade-school delinquent, Lina Inverse, and her motley crew of pals. It'll take a Christmas miracle to turn these rowdy kids into actors in time for the pageant. Is Filia up to the challenge?
1. Chapter 1

(Hello, and welcome to my first Christmas fic! I've had this story in my head for the past few years, but for whatever reason I was never able to get it written down in time to share it for Christmas. After all that wait, I'm thrilled to finally be able to present it to you now. As suggested by the title, this story is a parody of the play _The Best Christmas Pageant Ever_, which, in turn, was based on the novel of the same title by Barbara Robinson. Just as I claim no ownership of the Slayers characters, I claim no ownership of that story either- this play is one that is near and dear to my heart, and I wanted to see it combined with the Slayers crew. **Special thanks to the lovely Psychosongstress for giving me permission to borrow her darling Odilia for this story!** Thank you for reading, and please enjoy.)

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><p><em>Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer<em>

'_cause Lina Inverse isn't there._

_Yes, Jesus loves us as they say_

_because He keeps her miles away._

**Chapter 1**

Filia's teeth clenched together in annoyance and she gripped the steering wheel, trying to keep a careful balance between watching the road in front of her and glaring back at her daughter, who was sitting in the backseat of the van with her arms crossed and her lips pulled up into a pout.

"…and then the Sunday School teacher got mad, because all the _other kids_ said nice things about God and Jesus and good feelings…" Val explained hesitantly. "…but-"

"I told the real truth!" Odilia spat.

"I can _not_ believe you said that." Filia growled.

"That's what everyone was thinking." Odilia defended, tugging at her seatbelt. "All those other things are okay, but the main good thing about church is that Lina and her cronies aren't there- _ever_."

There was a moment of silence, and then a voice piped up from the front seat.

"Now, now. That doesn't sound like a very pious sentiment to me." Xellos, Filia's on-again-off-again 'gentleman caller' was taking up most of the front area. No matter how many times Filia had chided him about putting his feet on the dashboard, here he was painting his toenails a bright red and green, _in _the car, _while_ she was driving. Filia was going to say something about the nail polish fumes, but right now she was too angry with Odilia to care.

"It's a very practical sentiment." Val defended his sister. "Remember? Odile was black and blue all last year 'cause she kept picking fights with Pokota at recess."

"Pokota… is he the worst of Lina's minions?" Xellos questioned.

Odilia crossed her arms. "They're all the worst."

"Well, Gourry's the biggest." Val pointed out. "So, if Gourry gets you-"

"That doesn't make any difference! Amelia isn't big, but she's fast, and loud, and she has _fists of steel_!"

Xellos sighed, pulling the nail polish brush from between his teeth to speak. "Sorry I asked. Just stay away from all of them."

"That's what I said. Stay away from them. Go to church."

For once that car ride, Filia's mouth turned up into a genuine smile. "Oh, I'm so glad to hear you feel that way."

"…why?" Odilia was almost afraid to venture forward.

"No arguments this year about the Christmas pageant!"

"_I don't want to be a sheep again!_"

Filia sighed in exasperation. "Then just tell Dr. Nisery that you want to be an angel this year."

"I don't want to be in it."

The car screeched to a halt and everyone was jerked forward. Xellos' hand slipped and he got green nail polish all over the dashboard, but Filia didn't care about that right now. Odilia's last sentence had almost made her miss a stop sign. She turned to look at her daughter, her eyes burning.

"_Everyone _is in it_. _Just think of how I'd feel, sitting there on Christmas eve, if my own two children weren't in the pageant! Why, just think of how _Xellos _would feel!"

There was a short period of silence. Finally, when it seemed clear Xellos had no intention of answering, Filia nudged him.

"You'd feel terrible, _wouldn't you_, Xellos?"

Xellos cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, I, uh, didn't actually plan to go this year." He had to quickly add onto his sentence as he saw the anger in Filia's eyes. "You know how crowded it always is. They can use my seat. I'm just going to sit back, relax, put on my bathrobe, and watch a _Charlie Brown Christmas _while I eat peppermint ice cream from the carton with a shovel. You know there's never anything different about the Christmas Pageant."

Filia glared at him. "There's going to be something different this year."

"Oh? What's that?"

"_Val_ is going to be wearing your bathrobe."

"You just thought that up, Filia!"

The car finally pulled into the garage, giving Filia time to berate Xellos about his mistreatment of the dashboard. Val and Odilia took charge of carrying in the take-out food they were having for lunch. Odilia tried to carry as many bags in her arms as was possible, but Val took some from her. She stuck out her tongue at him angrily, but they were able to keep casual conversation

"Why don't you be Joseph?" Odilia suggested as they walked inside. "Zangulus would pay you, like, twenty bucks to be Joseph. He's sick of being Joseph all the time, just 'cause his girlfriend pressures him into it."

Val shook his head, placing the bag on the kitchen counter. "Nobody wants to be Joseph."

"Nobody wants to be _in_ it."

"What about you, Val?" Xellos asked, reclining in the living room chair before anyone could order him to do any work.

Val was taking silverware out of the kitchen drawers and beginning to set the table. "I'm always in the angel choir."

"Why can't Odile be in the angel choir?"

"Uh, because I can't sing?" Odilia replied, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Xellos chuckled in reply. "From what I've heard in the past, that's not a big issue. _Away In A Manger_ always sounds like a closet full of mice."

Filia pulled the tray of chicken out of the bag and placed it in the middle of the table. "Shame on all of you!" she scolded. "You know that Dr. Nisery works very hard every year to give everyone a lovely experience."

"Mom." Val rolled his eyes. "Dr. Nisery just likes to run things."

Filia shooed them off as they ran upstairs to wash up before lunch, but she finally sighed to herself. "Val's right, of course. He directs the pageant, he's in charge of the bazaar, he runs the Holly Day Fair, he organizes the potluck… I swear, Pestis Nisery would preach the _sermon_ if someone would let him."

Xellos thought over the name for a few moments. "Pestis Nisery… is that… Maria Nisery's husband?"

"Yes."

"Well, maybe he'll try to manage the hospital, because that's where he is."

Filia almost dropped the dishtowel she was holding. "_No!_"

"Yep." Xellos replied with a nod. "I ran into Maria in the art supply store yesterday. She said her husband fell and broke his leg. He'll be in traction for two weeks and laid up until the first of the year."

"_First of the year_?" Filia gasped. "Wh-why they'll have to cancel Christmas!"

Xellos leaned up from his seat to look at Filia, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "He's in charge of _Christmas_?"

"N-no, but…" She wrung her hands on the towel nervously. "…he's in charge of the bazaar and the potluck and the pageant, and… well, I feel sorry for Pestis, but who's going to do all those things?"

It was just as she was finishing her sentence that the phone began to ring.

Both Xellos and Filia eyed it suspiciously. Xellos clearly wasn't going to get up from the chair to answer it, but Filia was wary of it as well and afraid to touch it. Finally, the phone was silenced mid-ring, a sign that one of the children had answered it from upstairs. There was a pause and then the sound of Odilia yelling "_Mom_! Phone's for you!"

Filia begrudgingly picked up the phone that was set on the kitchen counter, nervously twirling the cord in her fingers. "Hello?" she answered.

The next few minutes, Xellos watched her, but he couldn't figure out what was being said. Filia was keeping a straight face, and responding only with "yes," and "uh-huh," and the occasional "I understand." Finally, after more "yes's" than should have been necessary, Filia hung up the phone. She turned to Xellos with a weary expression, looking almost as though she had aged slightly in those few minutes.

"Xellos," Filia murmured, "I have to direct the Christmas Pageant."

Silence.

"…Does that mean I have to _go_?"

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><p>"…<em>tell you again, Filia, how <em>important_ it is to give everyone a chance. Here's what I do. I tell them- there are no small parts, only small actors. That's what I tell them-"_

"Yes, Dr. Nisery."

"_-and I say that we must choose our Mary carefully, because Mary was the mother of Jesus-_"

"Yes, of course, Dr. Nisery."

"_-and you've got to get someone to keep the baby angels in check, or else they'll walk all over their robes and tear up their wings, and it looks awful-"_

"I see."

"_-and don't let the kids wear make-up. They think that, just because they're in a play, they _have_ to wear make-up, and it's always-_"

"Yes, Dr. Nisery."

Val and Odilia were sitting on the carpet in the living room, watching TV, but they were distracted by their mother's conversation- or, lack thereof. All they could hear were Filia's constant "yes Dr. Nisery's" and "of course, Dr. Nisery's." Odilia sighed and looked over at Val curiously.

"I thought Dr. Nisery was in traction. How can he talk on the phone while he's in traction?"

Val raised an eyebrow. "What do you think traction is?"

"Like, when they put you to sleep?"

Val gave a laugh and shook his head. "No such luck."

"-_and you'll need someone hand out the shepherds' crooks and push them on stage… ah! Xellos could do that. He could also manage the baby angels while you're-"_

Filia was only halfway listening to what Dr. Nisery was saying, and when she heard the doorbell ring, she sighed in relief at the opportunity for escape. "Excuse me, Dr. Nisery? There's someone at my door. There's someone- Dr. Nisery, I have to go. There's someone at my- Dr. Nisery! I'll be right back, Dr. Nisery!"

As she tried to escape, the doorbell kept ringing and ringing, and though Val jumped up to answer it, Filia shot him a hand gesture asking him to stay where he was. She set the phone down on the counter and rushed to the door as the doorbell picked up speed.

"Yes, hello? Sorry for the- huh?"

A man in a thick cloak with the hood pulled up over his head was bent down, reaching out to Filia with an unsteady hand.

"M-Miss, could you spare some food? I haven't had a square meal in three days-"

Filia pulled his hood down. "Xellos." she growled.

He looked up, realizing he'd been discovered, and stood up straighter. "Sorry, sorry. But your phone line's been busy all day and you won't pick up your cell. Who've you been talking to?"

Filia let Xellos into her house and closed the door behind him to keep out the cold air. "Dr. Nisery's been on my case the whole week, telling me _exactly_ how to run this Christmas pageant."

"And you won't hang up on him?" Xellos asked. "Filia, I've been _lonely_."

"I'll bet Dr. Nisery has been lonely at the hospital." Filia retorted.

"Not as long as the phones are working." Val piped in.

Xellos had sat down in the chair and Odilia climbed up into his lap. "He was probably telling her all about _there's no small parts, only small actors."_

"Yeah." Val laughed. "That and getting someone to shove the baby angels onstage and make the shepherds shut up."

"Yes," Filia stood behind the armchair and tapped Xellos on the head. "he actually suggested I get Xellos to do that."

Xellos groaned. "Does that mean I have to go?"

"Mom, you know there's nothing to worry about." Val stood up and moved to his mother's side, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Dr. Nisery is just stuck in the hospital with nothing to do but think of problems."

Filia smiled. "You're right. And there's _not _going to be any problems. Not on my watch."

The phone on the counter was left on its side, the sound coming from it just a dull drone to accompany the other sounds of the kitchen.

"…_and make sure that you don't pick just any baby to be the baby Jesus. Get a quiet one. Better yet- get two. That way if one gets cranky, you can always switch… Filia? Are you still there? Filia?"_

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><p>Lina Inverse's lunch table was always a chaotic scene. The kids at school had gotten so used to having their lunches swiped by Lina's group, they often gave them up willingly to avoid incurring Lina's wrath. At that particular moment, Lina and Gourry were fighting over the last oatmeal cream-pie while Naga laughed at them and Pokota was stuffing his face with some poor kid's leftover Thanksgiving pie. Amelia was oblivious to the chaos, sitting on the corner of the table playing a hand-held video game while Zelgadis watched over her shoulder.<p>

"Why'd you equip _that_ one? The other shield has a higher defense, you know." "You got the last Twinkie, Gourry! I deserve this cream-pie!" "Right, but this shield is cuter." "Are you kidding? You took all the desserts when I was out sick last week and didn't save me anything!" "The next boss is going to K.O. you in one hit." "You snooze, you lose, Gourry." "Not while I have the power of Justice on my side!" "I had the _flu_!" "You're an idiot."

"Hey, Lina! Gimme back my lunch!"

The voice of a little girl echoed across the cafeteria, grabbing the attention of most of the group at the table. Lina stood up to see who it was, and once she saw the girl, she was able to dig through the pile and grab hold of Odilia's lunchbox and toss it back to the girl.

"Sure, kid. Here."

Odilia caught the lunchbox and peeked inside of it. Lina had already gone back to her fight with Gourry, but Odilia wouldn't let her get off so easily.

"You stole my dessert again!"

"How do you know?" Lina shot back, refusing to let go of the cream-pie.

"Because it isn't here."

"What was it?"

"Two Twinkies." Odilia replied. Her mother only ever gave her one, but when Xellos got the chance, he would sneak an extra into her lunch. Whether it was to gain her favor or to anger her mother, she wasn't sure, but she wasn't going to object… unless, of course, it ended up in Lina's hands.

"Oh yeah." Lina glanced down at the pile of wrappers that she and Gourry had gone through already. "That's what it _was_."

Odilia ground her teeth in frustration, seeing the group going back to what they were doing with no evident consideration for her feelings. "Y-you think you're so great to steal my dessert every day? Y'know what? I don't care if you steal my dessert! I'll even _give _you my dessert! I get _all _the dessert I want, in… in…"

Her sentence had suddenly grabbed the attention of everyone at the table, and she realized in that moment that she couldn't back out. She had to think of _something_ to say. It had to be somewhere that Lina and her pals didn't know about. Somewhere they'd never been before.

"…in… Sunday School!"

There was a pause.

"What kind of dessert?" Lina ventured.

"A-all kinds! Cake and candy and pie- we get refreshments all the time. All we want."

"You're a liar." Lina was in her face suddenly, and Odilia took a few steps back.

"-and ice cream, and cupcakes, and-"

Lina grabbed the collar of Odilia's shirt. "Who gives it to you?"

Odilia had to think fast. "Uh… th-the minister."

"Why? Is he crazy?" Zelgadis asked.

"No, I… I think he's rich."

Lina scrutinized Odilia's features and finally let her go with a sigh. Odilia scrambled away, clutching her lunchbox close to her chest, but Lina stayed where she was, watching the girl go and musing over what she'd said.

"…Sunday School, huh?"

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><p><em>(New chapters will be posted on Wednesdays and Sundays. Thank you for reading!)<em>


	2. Chapter 2

As always, I don't own anything. I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!

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><p><span><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Ten-'o-clock was a terrible time to have to be somewhere on a Sunday morning, but the temptation of all-you-can-eat snacks was something that Lina and her pals couldn't pass up. It was a rainy day, and the bus dropped them off a few blocks down from the church, so when they got there they were cold and soaked and more than ready to inhale a few dozen donuts each.

The building was old, and Pokota mentioned that it smelled funny- an observation that no one argued with. After a few minutes of searching the hallways, they found a sign that held what they were looking for. _Children's Sunday School in the Fellowship Hall today: begin rehearsals for Christmas Pageant, _it read.

"…what's a _pageant_?" Pokota murmured.

"Ohoho, you don't even know what a pageant is?" Naga laughed.

"I'm only in the third grade, you know!" he defended. "Why don't you tell me what it is?"

Naga stopped laughing. "…uh, well…"

In the meantime, a short distance down the hallway, Martina Zoana Mel Navratilova was in the women's restroom applying makeup in front of the mirror. She was a star all year long of course, but the Christmas pageant was the one time of year when she shone more brightly than any other time, and she was determined to impress everyone. She didn't think much when she heard the door open and close, but the sound of someone clearing their throat drew her attention, and when she looked up, she froze at the sight she saw in the mirror.

"Hey, Martina," Lina knew the girl well- they'd been in the same class for the past three years. "what's a pageant?"

Martina had to stare and blink a few times to make sure that the girl she was seeing wasn't an apparition. "…I-it's a play."

Lina raised an eyebrow. "Like on TV?"

"Sort of."

"What's it about?"

"About?" Martina wasn't sure how to condense the meaning of Christmas into a form that Lina Inverse would understand. "It's about Jesus."

"Everything here is…" Lina muttered with an eye-roll, clearly unimpressed.

"A-and it's about Mary." Martina stammered, her vanity getting the better of her. "Mostly it's about Mary."

Lina was intrigued. "Who's Mary?"

"I am." Martina blurted out without thinking. "Er, _probably_ I am. I know the part."

She turned back around to her makeup, trying her best to ignore Lina, but Lina wasn't ready to end the conversation just yet.

"…Mary, huh? We'll see about that…"

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><p>The Fellowship Hall was in total disarray when Filia walked in with Val and Odilia. Filia hoped that her kids would help her corral the unruly children, but they immediately ran to join their friends and began contributing to the clamor.<p>

"K-kids… come on, now. Settle down… this will all go much more smoothly if we can all just- I mean- hey, everyone- please…" Filia was trying her best to be kind and gentle with the church children, but the noise was grating on her nerves and she didn't know what else to do. "…please… everyone… everyone… _QUIET!_"

The Fellowship Hall fell silent immediately. The kids all realized that their new director meant business and sat down obediently. Filia took a deep breath and finally continued.

"Thank you. Now, this will all go much more smoothly if we all just settle down. Today we're going choose who's going to play the main parts in our Christmas Pageant." Filia began pacing back and forth, clutching the clipboard with all her personal notes on it. "Of course, you will _all _have an important role to play. You know what Dr. Nisery always says-"

"_THERE ARE NO SMALL PARTS, ONLY SMALL ACTORS_." the chorus of children all chimed.

Filia blinked in surprise. "Well, isn't that what he always says?"

One child sitting on the edge of the stage raised his hand and answered. "That's what he says, but he never says what it means."

"Don't you know what it means?"

Val's best friend, Sylphiel, jumped up from her bench, almost knocking Val off the side. "I know what it means! It means that the short kids have to stand in the front row of the angel choir, or else no one can see them."

There was a murmur of laughter from the children, and Val tugged at Sylphiel's sleeve in an attempt to get her to sit back down. Filia herself couldn't help a smile, but she wouldn't dare laugh at a young girl's honest reply.

"Thank you, Sylphiel, but… not exactly. It really means that even the smallest baby angel is just as important as Mary."

Martina, who was sitting on the other side of Sylphiel, looked as though she'd been punched in the gut. "I don't think _anyone_ is as important as Mary!" she gasped.

"Well, naturally that's what you'd think, Martina." Val rolled his eyes. "I think the baby Jesus is more important."

The whole bench, Val, Sylphiel, and Martina, burst into an argument over the most important character in the pageant. Martina stuck up for her beloved Mary, while Val argued the importance of the Christ child. Sylphiel tried to get a word in edgewise about the short kids, but being in the middle of two strong-willed friends silenced her.

"Hey, hey! Calm down!" Filia scolded. "_Everyone_ is important- Mary, Jesus, _and_ the short kids!" She sighed in relief as the hall fell silent again. "Now, is everyone here? Hey, uh, Beverly, will you go out into the hall and see if anyone else is coming?"

"Yes ma'am." The girl smiled and scurried out into the hallway while Filia continued lecturing.

"Okay, our little kids will be the baby angels and sheep, so you'll need to prepare your costumes… angels will need to bring in bed sheets for costumes, and shepherds will need bathrobes-"

A small murmur in the crowd of children grew into a commotion. Filia tried to talk over them, but she couldn't help notice that they were all staring in fear at something… something behind her. She turned, not sure what she was going to face, but she never would have expected the sight she saw.

It was a group of children she'd never seen before… or, no, that wasn't quite true. She knew she'd seen the little boy with the mohawk and earrings at least once before in the principal's office when she'd gone to collect Odilia. In fact, she recognized the red-headed girl and the tall blond boy from her office visits on behalf of the PTA- they were there constantly and on a first-name basis with the principal, and while Filia had originally assumed that to be a good thing, now she wasn't so sure. Besides them, there was a pair of sisters, the younger of whom couldn't be older than six and was perched on her sister's shoulders, and a boy who, as though his large headphones weren't enough to discourage interaction with him, had a scowl on his face that looked as though someone had just sat on his hamster.

Filia knew right away just who the leader of the group was.

"…um, alright, then… let's make some room for Lina and her friends…"

Filia's abstract hand gestures were not necessary- as Lina and her pals took seats on the benches, the other kids moved out of the way like a school of fish around a shark. The tension that filled the air made Filia uncomfortable, and she wanted to continue as though she'd never been interrupted, but she noticed that something- or some_one_- was missing.

"Does anyone know what happened to Beverly?"

Amelia, still sitting on her sister's shoulders, raised her hand. "I think she went home. I think she got sick."

Filia regarded the little girl curiously. "Did she say that she was sick?"

"She just left." Amelia responded. "All I did was, I just said 'hi, Beverly,' and she just left."

The little girl seemed friendly enough, but the haughty glare on her sister's face was enough to scare away any small child. Filia didn't have to ask again.

"W-well, will someone be sure to tell Beverly about our rehearsals? It'll be the next four Wednesdays after school, so you'll have to plan to be here for _every _one."

Zangulus, who was sitting in the back, raised his hand and blurted out "What if we get sick?"

"You won't get sick." Filia replied and continued. "Now, Mary and Joseph will _absolutely _have to be here for every rehearsal-"

"-what if they get sick?"

"They won't get sick, Zangulus."

"Well, Beverly got sick, and we didn't even start yet."

There was an awkward pause. Filia glanced over to Amelia and Naga.

"We don't know that Beverly got… _sick_…" She quickly waved her clipboard around to change the subject. "Okay! I want you all to think about Mary, and what kind of person she was. She was quiet and gentle and kind, and the girl who plays Mary should try to be that kind of person. Now, who would like to play Mary?"

Only one hand went up.

"…Lina, do you have a question?"

"No." Lina shot back with an indignant scowl. "I wanna be Mary. And Gourry here- he wants to be Joseph."

Gourry had been daydreaming, looking at the posters on the walls, and snapped to attention when Lina said his name. He wasn't quite sure what she was volunteering him for, but he'd learned by now just to follow her lead. "Y-yeah! Right!"

"…" Filia's mouth hung open for a brief moment. She wasn't sure what to do- what _could _she do in this situation? "Um… why don't I write down the names of everyone who volunteers, and then we'll all decide? So, uh, Gourry Gabriev…" She jotted the name down. "Who else can I add to this list? Anyone? Any of you shepherds?"

Every one of the shepherds suddenly became preoccupied with their shoelaces or the dust floating in the air. Not one of them looked at Filia.

Her shoulders drooping in defeat, Filia circled the name she'd just written down. "Very well, then. Gourry will be our Joseph. And then Lina Inverse has volunteered to be Mary… I'll write _that_ down…" She looked up, desperate to recruit someone else. "Doesn't anyone else want to be Mary? Penny?"

"No."

"Sylphiel?"

"No thank you."

"_Martina_. Don't you want to volunteer?"

Filia's eyes were pleading for help. Martina turned her head away to avoid looking at her.

"N-no…" the girl choked. "…I don't want to…"

"I'll be Mary!" Naga began waving her hands eagerly, but Lina cut her off.

"Shut up, Naga- I'm already Mary. You be a…" Her voice trailed off and she walked over to read off of Filia's clipboard. "…a wise man."

"Well, the three wise men are generally boys," Filia murmured, "but they don't have to be."

"I'll be a wise man, then." Naga laughed.

Pokota raised his hand. "I'll be a wise man too! Hey, Zelgadis, you want to be a wise man? Raise your hand."

Zelgadis pulled his headphones off of his ears. "What's a wise man? Are they, like, schoolteachers or something?"

"No, dummy." Naga rolled her eyes. "It's like the president of the United States."

Zelgadis didn't look enthusiastic, but Lina punched him in the arm, and he reluctantly raised it. Amelia looked around in confusion.

"What's left to be?"

Lina leaned over Filia's clipboard again. "Some angel."

Amelia's eyes lit up at the word 'angel.' "Oooh, oooh! I'll be that! What is it?"

"It's the Angel of the Lord," Filia spoke, tugging her clipboard away from Lina, "who brings the Good News to the shepherds."

"Cool!" Amelia chimed.

Within a split second, every shepherd and sheep in the cast had their hands raised.

Filia clapped her hands in delight. "Oh, look, we do have some volunteers after all! Yes, Clark, do you want to be a wise man?"

"N-no." the boy shook his head. "I was just going to say that I can't be a sheep. We're, uh, going to Philadelphia."

"…why didn't you say so before."

"I… just remembered?"

"My mother doesn't want me to be a shepherd." another boy chimed in.

"Why is that?"

"I don't know, she just said 'don't be a shepherd."

Odilia turned her head away in defiance. "I'm _not _going to be a sheep."

"Oh yes you are." Filia replied with a glare. "What's the matter with all of you?"

"I don't want to be a sheep!" Odilia insisted. "Amelia punches too hard!"

"Odile," Filia growled, grabbing the girl by the arm. "Amelia is _not_ going to punch anyone. She's just the angel who brings the Good News to the shepherds in the fields and tells them that Jesus is born."

"And then punches them!" Odilia insisted.

"That's _enough_! I don't want to hear any more of that- from _any _of you." Filia scanned the room, keeping her grip on Odilia firm. "No shepherds or sheep may quit-"

All the hands went up.

"-or get sick."

The hands retreated again.

Filia heaved a sigh and let go of Odilia so that she could massage her temples. "Now… that's really all for today, boys and girls. You may go-"

The room erupted into chaos. All the kids were running in different directions, some yelling or screaming as they were approached by Lina or one of her friends. Filia hadn't been finished with what she was saying, and was trying to get the kids' attention once again, but it was no use. Children could be a terrifying force when they were all yelling at once.

"…but please… make sure you're here… f-for rehearsal next Wednesday…" Filia's voice trailed off and she spotted Val in the crowd, making a beeline for where he was sitting. However, her son wasn't the one she wanted to talk to just now. "Martina!"

Martina stiffened and buried her head in her diary, though that didn't deter Filia.

"Martina, what's wrong with you? Why in the world didn't you raise your hand?"

"…I don't know…"

"You _don't know_? Martina, I expected you to-"

"MISS UL COPT!" A child's voice from the hallway interrupted them. "ZANGULUS AND GOURRY ARE FIGHTING IN THE PROP ROOM! MISS U-"

"-don't you want to be Mary?"

"MISS UL COPT!"

Filia sighed in defeat and ran out the door in the direction of the prop room and the crying child. The fellowship hall had pretty much vacated by now, and Val and Sylphiel would've expected Martina to have run off to scold her boyfriend for causing such a commotion. But… she hadn't.

"Come on, Martina." Val groaned, shaking his head at her. "_I don't know_?"

"I didn't _dare _raise my hand!" Martina snapped, turning at him with angry tears in her eyes. "Lina Inverse would've _killed _me! She said-" the girl put on her best evil act, complete with a low voice and a menacing scowl, "-_I'm going to be Mary in this play, and if you open your mouth or raise your hand, you'll wish you didn't._ And I said-" Martina's countenance once again turned innocent, "-_but I'm _always _Mary in the Christmas Pageant. _And she said- _go ahead, then. And next spring, when the dogwoods come out, I'll stick a dogwood so far down your ear that no one will be able to get it. And it'll sprout there, and grow, and grow, and you'll spend the rest of your life with a dogwoOD TREE GROWING OUT OF YOUR EAR!_"

"You know she wouldn't do that."

"She would, _too! _Lina Inverse would do _anything!_" Martina shoved her pencil in Val's face. "You just watch. She'll do something terrible, and ruin the whole pageant, and it's ALL. YOUR. MOTHER'S. FAULT."

Martina stormed out of the fellowship hall, yelling down the hallway for Zangulus. The commotion had died down, so there probably wasn't anything to worry about, but Martina's outburst had left Val and Sylphiel stunned. Sylphiel noticed Val's expression and reached out to him.

"I'm so sorry-"

"No." Val batted her hand away. "Don't apologize. She might be right."

* * *

><p>The next day, Xellos went with Maria Nisery to visit her husband in the hospital and give him an update as to how the pageant was progressing in his absence.<p>

Needless to say, he was not thrilled.

"_WHERE DID THEY COME FROM? WHO LET THEM IN? _LINA INVERSE- _WHAT KIND OF CHILD IS THAT TO PLAY _MARY_, THE MOTHER OF _JESUS_? _How did all six of them end up in the _Christmas pageant_ when they ought to be in _jail? _Oh… I feel so responsible… if I'd been up and around, this never would have happened…"

* * *

><p>"…<em>If I'd been up and around, this never would have happened<em>…" Filia grumbled to herself as she marched through the mall parking lot, her hands, arms, and shoulders loaded up with boxes and bags from Christmas shopping. "Well, let me tell you-"

"Don't tell me, Filia. I'm on your side." Xellos walked beside her, leisurely sipping his peppermint latte. "The car is over _there_, by the way-"

"Pestis Nisery is _not_ the only man alive who can direct a Christmas pageant! I promised myself that I'd do the best I could, given the circumstances, but now… now, I'm going to make this the _best_ Christmas pageant we've ever had…" Filia fumed angrily. "…and I'm going to do it _with_ Lina and them! After all, THEY'RE the only ones who raised their hands, and NO ONE ELSE did, and I DON'T CARE-"

"Good for you, Filia. The car is over _there-_"

"And _YOU-_" Filia abruptly turned toward Xellos, pointing at him, dropping several boxes in the process. "-are going to help me!"

Xellos stared at her as she struggled to pick up the boxes, thinking over what she'd said.

"Filia, does that mean…?"

"YOU HAVE TO GO."


	3. Chapter 3

As always, I don't own anything, I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!

* * *

><p><span><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

Filia sort of hoped that Lina and her buddies wouldn't show up for practice on Wednesday, but, sure enough, there they were. The other kids were trying to avoid them, but it was hard when they were all crammed in the fellowship hall together.

"Okay, so…" Filia waved her hands, motioning toward the stage. "…the inn will be offstage, over there, and the shepherds will come in from upstage right and gather around the manger-"

Gourry raised his hand. "Where did all the shepherds come from anyway?"

"What's an inn?" Amelia enquired.

Odilia was proud that she had the answer to Amelia's question. "It's like a motel, where people go to spend the night."

"What people?" Naga asked. "Jesus?"

Martina scoffed. "Oh, honestly- Jesus wasn't even born yet. _Mary and Joseph_ went there."

"Why?"

"To pay their taxes." Zangulus offered.

Zelgadis was unconvinced. "At a _motel_?"

Lina jumped up and waved her hands around. "Shut up, Zel. Everybody just shut up. I want to hear." She strolled over to where Filia was standing and crossed her arms expectantly. "Begin at the beginning."

Filia blinked in confusion. "The beginning?"

"The beginning of the play? What happens first?"

There was a pause.

"L-Lina, this is the Christmas story from the Bible."

Pause.

"Haven't you ever heard the Christmas story from the Bible?"

The silence continued and Lina and her friends glanced at each other in confusion.

"Well… uh…" Filia stammered. "…that's what this Christmas pageant is, so… I guess I'd better read it to you."

There was a general groan from the crowd of kids. They'd all heard the story so many times, it no longer held any interest. Some of the younger kids drooped over as though they were going to fall asleep. Martina seemed completely insulted by the whole deal.

"I can't believe that." Sylphiel whispered. "Can you? That they've _never_ heard the Christmas story?"

"How could they?" Martina snapped. "They probably don't even know what a Bible _is_, and they never went to church in their whole lives until _Val's _little sister told them we got refreshments. Now we have to waste all this time for nothing."

Val shot Martina a glare and scooted away from her slightly.

Filia, in the meantime, had picked up a Bible from one of the nearby shelves and opened it up to the right page. She sat on the edge of the stage and Lina and her pals gathered around closely so that they could see over her shoulder. They were disappointed to find that the book had no pictures, but they were still intent on learning what the story was about.

"Now… _in the days of Caesar Augustus, there went out a decree that all the world should be taxed. So Joseph went up from Galilee with his wife, Mary, being great with child. And while they were there, she bro-"_

"Oh!" Gourry clapped his hands together in delayed realization. "Pregnant! She was pregnant!"

It was a genuine revelation to Gourry, so he seemed confused when some of the other kids laughed. Lina blushed a bright red and tried to punch him in the shoulder, but Filia intervened before a fight could break out.

"Yes, yes, we all know that Mary was pregnant."

As Filia continued the story from where she'd left off, Martina leaned over to Val and whispered, "I don't think it's very nice to say that Mary was _pregnant_." She hissed the last word as though it were cursed.

Val raised an eyebrow. "Well, she was."

"I don't think your mother should say that Mary was… _pregnant._ It's better to say 'great with child.' I'm not supposed to talk about people being _pregnant_- especially in church."

"-_and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn._"

"They didn't have room for _Jesus_?" Lina gasped.

Filia tried to reassure her. "W-well, nobody knew that the baby was going to be Jesus."

"Didn't Mary know? Didn't _he_ know?" Lina finally got that punch to Gourry's shoulder she'd been itching for. "What's the matter with Joseph that he didn't tell them, her being pregnant and everything?"

"What's a manger?" Pokota asked, raising his hand. "Is it some kind of bed?"

Filia shook her head. "No, they didn't have a bed in the barn, so they had to use something else. Think about it- what would you do if you had a new baby and no bed to put the baby in?"

Naga smiled proudly. "We put Amelia in a bureau drawer."

There was muffled laughter from the kids again, and this time Filia wasn't even sure how to respond. "…uh… okay. See? You didn't have a bed for Amelia, so you had to use something else."

"Oh, they _had_ a bed." Lina jerked a finger toward Naga in amusement. "Only Naga was still in it and she wouldn't get out. She didn't like Amelia very much. Hey, Naga! Remember when you didn't like Amelia?!"

Naga crossed her arms and looked away with a 'hmph.'

"Anyway," Filia continued. "a manger is a large wooden feeding trough for animals."

"What were the wadded-up clothes?" Pokota enquired.

"The _what_?"

"You read about it. You said she wrapped him in wadded-up clothes-"

"Oh!" Filia sighed in relief. "_Swaddling _clothes. Long ago, people used to wrap up babies very tightly in big pieces of material in order to make them feel cozy."

"Hold on." Zelgadis stretched out a hand to stop her. "Let me get this straight. You mean to tell me that they _tied him up_ and put him in a _feed box_? Where was the Child Protective Services?"

Naga elbowed him with a grin. "Child Protective Services is at _your grandpa's _house every five minutes."

Martina stood up and yelled across the room. "There _was_ no Child Protective Services in Bethlehem!"

"I'll say there wasn't." Lina groaned.

"_A-and there were shepherds_…" Filia started reading again as quickly as possible. "_keeping watch over their flocks by night. And, lo, an Angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of th-_"

"JUSTICE!"

"What?"

"Out of the black night, in a raging flame of JUSTICE! THE MASKED DEFENDER!" Amelia jumped up onto the stage and ran around, her pink cape billowing behind her. Filia stared, but couldn't understand what was going on.

"Amelia, I don't know what you're talking about."

"The Masked Defender of Justice." Amelia responded matter-of-factly. "From Amazing Comics? Out of the black night, in a raging flame of Justice!"

"Amelia, Amelia," Filia took the little girl's hand and tugged her back to where the group was sitting. "this is the Angel of the Lord, who brings the Good News to the shepherds."

"Out of nowhere, right?" Amelia asked. "In a raging flame of Justice, right?"

"Well… in a way…"

"JUSTICE!"

Filia groaned. Lina and Naga were encouraging Amelia with praise and high-fives, and Amelia looked so happy, Filia hated to have to scold her. However, they had a play to rehearse, and the sooner they finished the story, the sooner they'd actually be able to do that.

"_There came wise men from the East to worship Him, bringing gifts of gold-"_

"Gold!" Lina's eyes lit up.

"_-and frankincense-_"

"What's that?" Gourry asked.

"_-and myrrh_."

"What's that?" Naga asked.

"Well, uh…" Filia realized that she didn't have a full understanding of frankincense and myrrh herself, but she tried her best to explain them in a way that the children would understand. "…they were precious things- spices and precious oils."

"_Oil_? What kind of cheapo hands out _oil _as a present?" Lina demanded, sounding disgusted. "I get better presents from my third-cousin-once-removed."

"Were they cousins- the wise men?" Amelia asked with a curious stare.

"No." Filia shook her head. "They were kings, and they were sent-"

"Well, it's _about time_ somebody important shows up!" Lina yelled, jumping to her feet. "If they're kings, they can get the baby out of the barn and tell the innkeeper where to _get off_!"

"No, no, no, no." Filia tried to cut off Lina's outburst. "They were sent by _Herod_, who was… well, he was sort of the _main _king. And he wanted to find Jesus and have Him put to death-"

"_WHAT_?!"

The group of kids suddenly jumped back as though they'd been burned. Amelia clung to her sister's side in shock. "He just got born!" she sobbed pitifully. "They're gonna kill a _baby_?!"

Hearing her sister's cries, Naga's expression immediately darkened. She scanned the crowd of kids in the fellowship hall with a murderous intent. "_Who's Herod in this play_?"

Filia put the Bible down beside her and stood up to place her hands on Naga's shoulders. "No, no." she murmured comfortingly, though it didn't appear to be doing much good. "Herod isn't in the play."

"He's out to _kill the baby_ and he isn't even in the play?" Zelgadis raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

Naga was determined to find a scapegoat. "Well, _somebody_ better be Herod."

Lina, on the other hand, had already selected a victim. Odilia had been silently playing a handheld video game during the whole scene, so it was easy to catch her off-guard. Lina jumped off the stage and made a beeline for the girl, scooping her up by the arms and holding her out for everyone to see.

Filia's heart nearly stopped.

"Let _Odilia_ be Herod!" Lina exclaimed triumphantly. "And she says 'go get me that baby!' And they say 'okay,' because she's the king and all."

"But then they don't do it, right?" Pokota demanded. "They go back and get Herod."

"I'm not going to be Herod!" Odilia shrieked, kicking her legs back and forth.

"NO ONE IS GOING TO BE HEROD!"

"No!" Gourry stomped one foot on the stage, creating a loud enough sound to catch everyone's attention. "Joseph gets the shepherds together, and they go _wipe out Herod_!"

The entire fellowship hall burst into pandemonium. The shepherds were all trying to vacate the room, not wanting to get caught up in Gourry's crusade, and their panic created a panic in the rest of the kids. Filia had to yell, but even then it was difficult to be heard.

"-forget about Herod, there is NO Herod-"

Lina ran over and plucked the baby doll out of the makeshift manger. "And _I'll _protect the baby until the fight's over!"

"Somebody ought'a fix that innkeeper." Pokota decided out loud. "Amelia! You go wipe out the innkeeper."

"I can't." Amelia pouted. "I'm an _angel_."

* * *

><p>After a few minutes, the fellowship hall had emptied, save for the six kids who'd started the whole mess. Lina and her friends lounged around on the stage lazily, throwing around ideas as to how to improve the play.<p>

"I wouldn't just hang out in the barn." Lina muttered, staring up at the ceiling. "I'd go get a room."

"She said there wasn't any room." Gourry pointed out.

"Then I'd _throw somebody out._ I'd say, 'look, I've got this baby here and it's the middle of winter, so either get out or move over."

"I'd go after old Herod." Naga grumbled.

"I'd send the angel after him." Pokota offered, giving Amelia a playful pat on the shoulder. "She could just point her electric finger and turn him into a pile of ashes."

Amelia giggled and pantomimed it. "Yeah, zap!"

Zelgadis had been pacing back and forth along the edge of the stage and finally stopped, staring back at his friends. "What's the name of this play?" he asked. "She never said."

"Christmas Pageant." Amelia replied with a smile.

"But that's not a name. That's what it _is_."

There was an awkward pause.

"…um," Gourry raised his hand. "I have a name."

Lina turned to him with a curious grin. "Okay, shoot."

"I'd call it… _Revenge at Bethlehem_."

No one had to say their opinion out loud. The smiles that spread between them made it obvious. Naga picked up Amelia and put her on her shoulders again, starting toward the exit door. She pumped her fist up and down, beginning to chant.

"Revenge! Revenge! Revenge at Bethlehem!"

The rest of the group fell in line behind her, repeating the chant as they left the building.

"_Revenge! Revenge! Revenge at Bethlehem! Revenge! Revenge! Revenge at Bethlehem!_"

Filia had been standing just out in the hallway, listening to their conversation. She leaned against the wall, pressing her eyes shut.

"…what have I done…?"


	4. Chapter 4

As always, I don't own anything. I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!

* * *

><p><span><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

_Revenge at Bethlehem._ Lina and her friends thought the Christmas story came right out of the FBI files. At least they chose the right villain- it was Herod they wanted to gang up on and not the baby Jesus. Unfortunately, the baby Jesus quit the pageant anyway. It was supposed to be Eugene Slocum, but Mrs. Slocum said that she wasn't going to let Lina Inverse get her grubby hands on him. So they didn't have a baby Jesus, and that bothered Filia. She kept trying to scratch up a baby… even at the last rehearsal.

When Val and Odilia walked into the fellowship hall on the Wednesday before Christmas, they found Martina sitting by herself scribbling in her diary like she had always been during practice. As the practices had progressed, Martina had spent more and more time filling up the pages with writing. However, she never let anyone see what it was- Val had asked several times and been denied. Odilia, however, had little respect for other people's wishes.

"Hey, Martina?" Odilia piped up. "What do you keep writing in that book?"

Martina glared at the girl and scooted away. "It's like a diary." she muttered.

Odilia grabbed the book and began flipping through the pages. Martina reached for it, but Odilia was too fast.

"It is _not_. It's all about Lina and her friends. Naga curses and swears all the time… Gourry talks about stupid things… Miss-" She stopped abruptly. Her mouth fell open and she turned to Val, pointing to the page. He leaned down and read the entry.

"_Miss Ul Copt called Mary pregnant_?" he hissed. Martina averted her gaze to avoid his glare, but even though she couldn't see it, she could feel it. Val took the book from Odilia and flipped some more pages, reading the highlights. "…Pokota drinks communion wine? It isn't wine, Martina, it's grape juice."

"I don't care _what_ it is- he drinks it!" Martina growled, snatching the book back from him. "I've seen him three times with his mouth all purple. And they steal too- if you shake the birthday bank, it doesn't make a sound because _Lina _stole all the pennies out of it. And every time you go into the ladies' room, the whole air is blue, and Naga is sitting there- _in the wise man costume_- smoking cigarettes!"

"And you wrote all this down? What for?" Val demanded.

"For my father." Martina shot back. "And Reverend Goodwin, and the Church Arts Council, and… and… _anybody else _who wants to know what happened when the whole Christmas pageant turns out to be a big mess!"

Other children had begun filing in during the conversation, and Filia finally joined them, calling for everyone to settle down. Martina saw Zangulus across the room and stormed over to where he was sitting, perching on the bench next to him and melting on his shoulder with tears in her eyes as though Val and Odilia had hurt her fragile feelings. Zangulus shot the two of them an 'I'm-watching-you' gesture, which Odilia returned but Val shrugged off.

"Alright, everyone, let's get settled down!" Filia was waving her hands and was about to start directing, but she stopped as she was approached by a woman in an apron. "Oh, Maria, what are you doing here?"

"Don't worry, I'm not here to spy for my husband or anything." Mrs. Nisery chuckled, waving the spatula she was holding around. "I just wanted to let you know that the rest of the arts council and I will be over there in the kitchen to make the applesauce cakes for Christmas eve- we'll try not to bother you." She paused and scanned the crowd of children with the pensive frown of an art critic who wasn't pleased with what she saw. "I suppose this is your… _dress rehearsal_?"

Filia glanced at the kids sadly. "Well, it's supposed to be." Before Maria could leave, Filia grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to the side. "Maria, I heard that your sister had a baby a few months ago… a little girl?"

"Oh, yes." Maria replied with a smile. "She's ten weeks old, and she's just _precious-_"

"W-well, how would it be if I called your sister and asked if we could maybe borrow the baby f-"

"Filia, NO!" Mrs. Nisery jumped back in horror, her voice loud enough to grab the attention of all the kids. "I mean, I could make up some lie and tell you that the baby's sick or cranky or something, but the truth is that she's perfectly healthy and happy and _beautiful_, and we all want her to _stay _that way. So we're certainly not going to hand her over to _Lina Inverse_. Sorry, Filia."

Maria stormed out of the fellowship hall in a huff, and Filia was left standing awkwardly by herself. One of the little sheep girls walked up and tugged on Filia's dress.

"Miss Ul Copt, you can use my little brother for the baby Jesus."

The offer came as a surprise to Filia. "Beverly! I didn't know you had a new baby brother."

Beverly shook her head. "No, he's not new. He's three years old. But he's double-jointed, so he could probably scrunch up."

"Thanks, but, uh… no." Filia shook her head, shooing Beverly back toward the other sheep. "I'm sure that we can-"

"_I'll _get us a baby."

The whole room turned quiet and all eyes focused on Zelgadis.

"And, um…" Filia began nervously. "…how will you do that, Zelgadis?"

"There's always a bunch in strollers in the mall. I can grab one of those."

The seriousness in the boy's voice sent a chill down Filia's spine. He wasn't joking.

"_What_?" she screeched. "What makes you think you can just _take_ a baby?!"

Zelgadis didn't flinch. "My grandfather says that sometimes small evils are necessary for the greater good."

"_Greater good? _This is- oh, nevermind!" Filia groaned, shaking her head. "We'll just use the doll."

"That's alright. A doll is better anyway." Lina said, waving the doll around triumphantly. "A doll can't bite you."

"And, um, Lina…" Filia began again, staring at the- er, they looked almost like Christmas-tree ornaments- that had suddenly appeared on her ears today at practice. "…you know that Mary didn't wear earrings."

"I _have_ to wear these." Lina responded indignantly. "I just got them pierced and if I don't keep something in them, they'll grow together."

"Well, they won't grow together in an hour-and-a-half. What did the doctor tell you?"

"…what doctor?"

"Who pierced your ears?"

"Amelia."

The whole fellowship hall turned to look in horror at the little girl. Martina leaned over to Zangulus and whispered _"I'll bet she did it with an ice pick. I'll bet Lina's ears turn green and fall off_."

"It's okay." Filia assured her before Lina could attack Martina. "We'll just find you something smaller to wear. But, is this your costume? Is this what you're going to _wear_?" She sighed and turned to the other children who were equally as far from in-costume as they could get. "You were all supposed to be in costume today."

There was an immediate surge of explanations from the group.

"I can't find my halo!" "Melissa stole my robe." "My wings got all bent." "No, I didn't!" "Hey, watch it!"

"I don't have any white sheets." one angel blurted out. "Can I wear sheets with dinosaurs on them?"

"N-no," Filia stammered. "you should really try to-"

Zangulus stood up, actually raising his hand before he spoke. "I don't have a costume. I've never been a shepherd before."

"You have to wear your father's bathrobe." Clark responded. "That's what I have to do."

"He hasn't got a bathrobe."

"What does he hang around the house in?"

"…his underwear."

An outburst of laughter followed. Sylphiel tugged on Filia's arm. "Are we going through the whole thing?"

"Yes, we're going through the whole thing." Filia nodded. "But I want us to do just the entrances first, so if everyone could go off-stage and get into their positions, and we'll go from there. Sylphiel, can you give us the first few lines?"

Sylphiel nodded, waiting until everyone had gone offstage and then turning in her script to the first page.

"Alright, music- angels." Filia called. The angel choir, Val and Martina included, walked onto the stage in single-file, singing _O Little Town of Bethlehem. _It was obvious that they hadn't decided on a key to begin with, and multiple people were singing it in multiple keys, while some were a little behind or ahead of the group, and others were singing a different song entirely, their defiant chorus of _Do You Hear What I Hear? _clashing with the rhythm.

Filia groaned and cut them off. "Sylphiel, continue."

"…shepherds, keeping watch over their flocks by night."

"Music- shepherds."

The shepherds and sheep shuffled onstage to a muffled chorus of _While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night_. Filia cued Sylphiel again, and the girl kept reading. "…and an Angel of the Lord ap-"

"IN A RAGING FLAME OF JUSTICE-"

"No, Amelia." Filia intervened and grabbed hold of the girl.

"-A RIGHTEOUS JUSTICE, A BURNING JUSTICE-"

"No, Amelia. Sylphiel, keep going."

"…and a multitude of the heavenly host…"

"Music- baby angels. Okay, looks good... Music- wise men."

As Pokota, Naga, and Zelgadis scrambled up the steps and onto the stage, Lina stood up and began waving the doll around with a haughty grin- much to Filia's horror. Before Filia could drop Amelia and get to Lina, the girl began yelling.

"I've got this baby here, I've named Him Jesus, don't touch Him-"

Saying not to touch the baby was like an invitation for Naga and Pokota to grab it. Pokota grabbed an arm while Naga grabbed the head, pulling against Lina's grip on the leg. Zelgadis glanced at the commotion and stepped away from the group, placing his headphones back over his ears. Gourry gasped and chastised the others for hurting the baby, but no one was listening to him. Likewise, no one was listening to Filia, but that didn't stop her from yelling anyway.

"Lina, stop- Naga, Pokota, please- Mary doesn't say anything- no one says anything- Mary and Joseph- no, NO, Mary and Joseph just MAKE A NICE PICTURE FOR US TO _LOOK AT WHILE WE_ _THINKABOUTCHRISTMASANDWHATITREALLYMEANS-"_

There was a loud popping noise as the doll's head separated from its body. Naga stared in horror at the baby head in her hand and Lina looked just as distraught at the headless doll she and Pokota had a grip on. Amelia started to cry, and everyone could hear Gourry murmur "…_you killed Jesus_…"

Filia heaved a deep breath. "Put. The doll. Back."

There was a pause and Naga gently placed the head back in the manger. Lina, however, was not so gentle. She wrenched the body out of Pokota's hand and dumped it into the manger like she was dunking a basketball.

"I don't get to say _anything_?!" Lina fumed. "Some angel tells me what to name _my_ baby? I would've named him… Enrico!"

"Oh, what a terrible thing to say." Martina huffed.

"What angel was that?" Gourry asked, glancing around the stage. "There's angels all over the place. Was that Amelia?"

"No." Filia muttered through clenched teeth. "Amelia is the Angel of the Lord who brings the Good News to the shepherds."

"Y-yeah." Amelia sniffled. "Unto you a child is born-"

"Unto _me_!" Lina interrupted. "Not _them_, me. I'm the one who had the baby-"

"It just means that Jesus belongs to all of us!" Filia snapped. "Unto _all of us_ a child is born."

Lina was not impressed. "Why didn't they let Mary name her own baby? What'd the angel do, just walk up and say 'name Him Jesus?"

"Yes." Filia sighed in exasperation.

From across the room, they could hear Martina clear her throat.

"_I _know what the angel said. He said, His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."

Lina rolled her eyes. "He'd never make it out of the first grade if he had to write all that."

Lina's comment seemed to open the floodgates. It was as though every child had a problem at once- some were asking to use the bathroom, others had problems with their costumes, others still had been told their parents needed them for some reason or another, and Filia was trying to deal with it all as Sylphiel berated her for instructions.

"M-Miss Ul Copt… should I go back? Should I start over? Should I-"

"Five minutes, Sylphiel. Give me five minutes. FIVE MINUTES, EVERYONE."

* * *

><p>The five minutes turned into fifteen minutes.<p>

Naga, angry and looking for a break, spent the entire time smoking cigarettes in the ladies' room. Unfortunately, Mrs. Nisery just so happened to have run out of paper towels in the kitchen and had come to grab a few from the restroom at the wrong moment. Seeing all the smoke and fearing for the safety of everyone in the building, she immediately called the fire department.

And they came _right away_.

The firefighters cleared everyone out of the building and ran a fire hose all through the church, looking for a fire to put out. Of course, the only fire they found was in the kitchen- all the applesauce cake burned up. The arts council members were mad about that. All the kids were terrified, Maria Nisery was humiliated, and Filia was _MAD_.

* * *

><p>Maria Nisery was sitting on the bench in the church courtyard with a blanket around her shoulders and a look of embarrassment and shame on her face. Filia, meanwhile, was pacing back and forth, her seething rage the only thing keeping her warm in the night air. The firefighters had been very nice to Maria about the whole deal, assuring her that everything was fine and it was always better to be safe than sorry, but Filia was not going to give her such a break.<p>

"Why on _earth _would you call the _fire department_ over a little smoke?!"

"I-it was a lot of smoke." Maria responded timidly. "The whole ladies' room was full of thick smoke-"

"It _couldn't _have been! You just got excited like you and your husband always do- and now look! We have children crying in the streets, Lina and her pals playing jump rope with the fire hose and climbing all over the trucks and half the neighborhood-" Filia had to take a deep breath before continuing. "-so, so… didn't you know it was just cigarette smoke?"

"No." Maria replied, shaking her head and pulling the blanket more tightly around her. "I didn't know it was just cigarette smoke. I didn't expect to find cigarette smoke in the ladies' room of the church, okay?"

Filia was silent for a moment before turning and walking back inside.

It was easier than staying and admitting that Maria had a point.

* * *

><p>"I've been on the phone all day, and I can't make heads or tails of it."<p>

Thursday afternoon, Filia received a concerned call from Xellos, who'd been out of town on a business trip the past several days and hadn't been around for the big commotion. He was always one to stay on top of the latest gossip, so it was no wonder that he'd have spoken to everyone about it, but Filia was surprised that he hadn't visited her to talk about it in-person. She'd felt her heart sink when she picked up the phone and heard his clear, cold voice saying '_we need to talk_.' Xellos had a habit of avoiding face-to-face conflict. When he broke up with Filia, it was always over the phone, and it always started just like that.

"Some people say they set fire to the fellowship hall. Some people say they set fire to the kitchen." Xellos continued. "Martina's father says that all they talk about is food and underwear-"

"That was just Zangulus talking about underwear, and it was his father's underwear." Filia interrupted. "And the only fire was in the kitchen where the applesauce cake burned up."

There was a silence.

"The whole church is in an uproar. Filia… don't you think it would be best if we cancelled the pageant?"

Filia ground her teeth. "I'll bet that was Pestis Nisery's idea!"

"We could blame it on the fire. It makes a great excuse."

"And that was probably Maria's idea."

"It's just that… well… everyone thinks it's going to be a… a…"

"A _what_?!" Filia shouted into the receiver. "A _disaster_? Well, they're wrong! This is going to be the best Christmas Pageant we've ever had!"

"But Filia." Xellos insisted. "I don't think anyone is going to go see it."

"_Then you don't have to go_."

She hung up the phone, feeling a sense of finality in it. Xellos would be happy to stay home and eat his ice cream. The show _would_ go on, even if she was the only one there.


	5. Chapter 5

As always, I don't own anything. I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Thank you all so much for coming on this journey with me, and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Thanks for reading!

* * *

><p><span><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

Filia sat in the darkness of the prop room, just down from the fellowship hall where people were starting to gather. To be honest, she hadn't thought that anyone would come either. But here it was, Christmas eve, and the church was jammed full. It seemed that everyone had come to see what Lina Inverse was going to do.

Filia suddenly heard the sound of someone coming down the stairs. "Filia? I can't see. Where are the lights? Filia, wh- AH!"

Before Filia could flip the light switches, there was a loud crash and the sound of a person falling down the steps. Filia turned to see Xellos lying on the steps, a small tree propped on its side near him as though he'd dropped it when he fell.

"Xellos…? What are you doing here?" Filia asked, reached a hand out to help him up. "I thought-"

"The past few days, my cat has decided to declare war on this poor ficus, so I decided that, since I was going to get rid of it anyway, I might as well bring it here for the pageant. I thought it'd look like a palm tree, but… now I see that it doesn't." Xellos brushed off his backside, trying to steady himself, however Filia nearly knocked him over by grabbing hold of him.

"Oh, Xellos! I don't know what's going to happen tonight!" she cried. "We've never once been through the whole thing, and Lina and her friends still think it's some sort of spy story. This may be the first Christmas pageant in history where Mary and the wise men get into a fight and the angel runs away with the baby."

Xellos tried to pry the woman away from him. "Filia, please, we're in a church. Save some room for Jesus, will you?" He chuckled to himself, as though he was proud of a clever joke, and continued. "Everything will be alright. Where are the kids?"

Filia took a step back and dried her eyes. "All the kids in the world are in the basement putting on bed sheets."

"No," Xellos shook his head. "I mean ou- _your_ kids."

"We're here."

Val and Odilia appeared at the top of the steps, having been listening to the last bits of the conversation. Val had been handing out programs in the fellowship hall, but he'd noticed Xellos' unmistakable beat-up convertible driving into the parking lot, and had to find out what the man was up to.

"Val! Odile!" Filia gasped. "What are you doing here? Go put on your costumes- it's almost time to get lined up."

"It's gonna be awful, you know." Val replied, sitting down on the top step defiantly. "They look like trick-or-treat, all fastened together with safety pins… Mary and Joseph, I mean."

Odilia leaned on his shoulder and nodded. "They look like refugees or something."

"_Odile_!" Filia hissed. "That's-"

"-interesting that you'd say that." Xellos interrupted her, walking up the steps to sit down beside Val. Odilia hopped down a few steps to sit in Xellos' lap. "They _were _refugees, in a way. They were a long way from home, they had no place to stay, they didn't know anybody- they were probably cold, tired, hungry, and messy."

"I don't know about cold, tired, and hungry," Odilia rolled her eyes. "but they sure are messy."

"Oh, shoo." Filia sighed, waving the two off. She then turned around and began gathering her belongings, murmuring to herself about various things. "…maybe if I just… I could try to… or perhaps it would work better if I… Hey, Xellos? Do you think-?"

"I think you worry too much." Xellos replied, picking up his tree and nudging her playfully with it. "I have everything under control. I'll get the baby angels organized and push them onstage, I hand out the shepherds' crooks and push them onstage… when exactly am I supposed to do all this?"

"Here." Filia handed him the packet of paper she was holding. "It's all here in the script."

Xellos took the script from her and began flipping through it, observing all the notes that Filia had scrawled in with her favorite purple pen. "…okay… baby angels, yes… shepherds, yes… wise men, uh… Filia, I think there's something missing."

"Huh?" Filia snatched the script back. "What are you talking about? I thought I had everything!"

Xellos waved his hands dismissively. "Oh, I don't think it's a big deal. It's just that I don't see where the fire trucks come in."

"_XELLOS_!"

If Filia hadn't been in a church, she might have strangled him.

* * *

><p>"Val, Sylphiel, can you two round up the rest of the baby angels? I think there are a few still out in the hallway." Filia gave orders backstage as the kids started to get lined up. The dull drone of the crowd just outside the curtains was creating an excited buzz in the children. The Christmas pageant usually attracted the same crowd every year, so the Arts Council knew exactly how many chairs to set up. This year, however, the fellowship hall had filled to the point that it was standing-room-only, and some people had to sit out in the hallway as per the fire code.<p>

No matter what happened, this was a Christmas pageant no one would soon forget.

"You all look wonderful… beautiful… lovely…" Filia passed each child, individually complimenting them on their costume. However, she got to one child and stopped. "…I, uh, see you had no luck with the plain white bed sheets?"

The child replied with a shake of the head.

"…no worries, then. Dinosaurs are fine." Filia sighed, moving on to one of the smaller angels. She hardly recognized the girl and had to do a double take. "Amelia? Your costume is beautiful! But, um, where's your halo?"

"Zelgadis' cat buried it." Amelia replied matter-of-factly.

Zelgadis, who had been standing next to Amelia the whole time, grabbed Filia's hand and acted like he was trying to pull the woman to the side for a private conversation. Filia listened with an amused expression, not sure what to expect. "Listen. Amelia and I have been talking, and we think she ought to say something besides 'the baby came.' Why would they all get up and tear off after some baby they don't even know? We think she ought to tell them it's Jesus and she ought to tell them where He is."

"No, Amelia, Zelgadis." Filia assured them with a calm smile. "Amelia tells them 'unto you a child is born,' and that's _all_ she tells them."

Amelia gave an exasperated sigh- a funny sight for a child her size- and joined the rest of the angels in lining up in their places.

"Everyone try to be quiet while the stage is getting set up," Filia instructed, walking out toward the hallway with the few actors who would be entering from the back. "and good luck!"

"_Miss Ul Copt_," Martina's haughty voice spoke up over the commotion. "actors don't say 'good luck.' Actors say 'break a leg."

Lina, Naga, and Pokota looked at each other with big, mischievous grins. "_Break a leg_?!" they all exclaimed with the enthusiasm of a child, well, on Christmas. Filia had to intervene _quickly_.

"No, no, no, no!" she hissed, grabbing Naga and Pokota's arms and pulling them back towards the door. "It's just a theatrical saying. It doesn't really mean break a leg- yours or anyone else's. PLACES!"

The children shuffled out into the hallway and Filia followed. As she began to calm herself down, she noticed the way that Lina was carrying the baby doll. Its head had been reattached with super-glue in a rather odd-looking fashion, but that wasn't such a problem when the doll was wrapped in the bundle of cloth they were using as a prop. Lina still had on her Christmas-ornament earrings and was visibly chewing gum as though she were on her way to a party, not preparing to play the lead role in a pageant. "Lina…" Filia began uneasily, motioning the girl aside. "can I talk to you for a minute?"

Lina shrugged and gave the others a wave before stepping aside with Filia. The woman bent down and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. She was smiling, but Lina was still suspicious about being called out specifically. Filia took the doll from her and began wrapping it in the cloth.

"Lina, I know you've never really been involved in a church before, so this is probably overwhelming. All this Jesus-business is kind of a tough pill to swallow all at once. We don't expect you to understand it or believe it, really, but…" Filia pulled on Lina's sleeves so that she could press the bundle of cloth and doll into the girl's arms. "…at the heart of it all, Christmas is about gifts. About giving gifts, and, _yes_, getting gifts. When you receive a gift, it means that someone, somewhere loves you. So, for tonight anyway, please remember that this is not just a baby. This baby is a _gift_, and it's a gift especially for _you_."

Lina stared at her blankly for a moment, and then offered a shrug in reply. Filia sighed, straightened up again, and walked with the other kids to their places. Lina let the doll fall back to her side, strolling casually toward the group. However, she stopped momentarily. Something behind her caught her eye.

It was a painting hanging on the wall. Most of the paintings in the church were ones of strange-looking old men with beards and odd clothing, so Lina ignored them. This one, however, was different. There was a man with a beard- not Santa, but a younger man, Jesus maybe?- sitting and welcoming a group of children. He had a little boy in his lap and a girl by his side, and the expression on his face was one that made Lina uneasy. It was… _love_.

The girl threw a glance at the doll in her arms. It was suddenly as though something about it was different. Something had changed- slight, of course- but visibly nonetheless. Lina tugged the blanket tightly around the doll, and gently removed her earrings, tucking them away in her pockets. As an afterthought, she fished her gum wrapper out of her pocket and spit her gum out into it. She heard someone call her name from the end of the hallway, and so she smoothed her hair out, pulling the scarf she'd been given to wear up over her head and rushing toward her place.

* * *

><p><em>O, little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie.<em>

"In the days of Caesar Augustus, a decree went out that all the world should be taxed."

_Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by._

"So Joseph went up from Galilee with Mary, his wife, who was great with child."

_Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light._

"And while they were there, she brought forth her first born son,"

_The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight._

"wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." Sylphiel stood at the podium near the edge of the stage. She didn't have to read the script- she'd played the narrator for so many years that she had her part completely memorized. A portion of her feared that the chaos which was surely going to ensue in the next few minutes would make her forget what she was supposed to do, so she had a script with her- just in case. However, as she finished her narration and the singing transitioned from _O Little Town of Bethlehem _to _Away in a Manger_, she saw that Lina and Gourry were entering calmly and just as they'd been instructed to. Gourry was looking around, wide-eyed at the number of people in the fellowship hall, but Lina was focused on the manger on stage and the doll she was holding. Nervously, she pressed the doll against her shoulder and patted its back.

_Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,_

Martina nudged Val and motioned toward Lina and Gourry. "Hey, what's she doing with the baby? Is she- _oh! _I don't think it's very nice to _burp_ the baby Jesus, as if He had colic."

_the little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head._

Val shrugged. "Well, He could've had colic, just like any other baby."

"I don't care." Martina hissed in reply. "It looks awful and they look awful."

_The stars in the sky looked down where they lay;_

"So what?" Val whispered harshly. "They just came a long way, they don't have any place to go, and now they've got a new baby to worry about."

Martina balked. "Who, Lina and Gourry?"

_the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay._

"No. Mary and Joseph."

Sylphiel sent a wary glance toward the manger where Lina and Gourry had taken their places, but they didn't seem eager to stir up trouble. The chorus transitioned into _While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night_, and that was her cue to begin reading again.

"In that region, there were shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night. And, lo, an angel of The Lord appeared to them."

There was a pause. That was Amelia's cue, and all the children were expecting the onslaught of Justice. It was a greater shock to all of them that it didn't happen at all. Sylphiel cleared her throat and tried again, wondering if the girl hadn't heard.

"An _angel _of The Lord appeared to them."

Silence.

By this time, all the children were glancing around in confusion. Sylphiel began to panic, and started reading off the script she'd prepared.

"Th-the glory of The Lord shone 'round about, and they were sore afraid, when the _ANGEL_ OF THE LORD appeared to the-"

"HEY! HEY!"

Finally, Amelia's voice rang out through the hall as she burst out onto the stage. The shepherds and sheep never thought they'd be so happy to see the fiery little girl.

"UNTO YOU A CHILD IS BORN. IT'S JESUS AND HE'S IN THE BARN; GO SEE HIM."

This time the silence was more stunned than fearful. That was definitely not in the script. None of the shepherds or sheep moved.

This displeased Amelia. She waved the shepherds on forward. "Go on. Go see Him."

No movement.

With a huff, Amelia grabbed a crook from one of the shepherds and began to corral them toward the manger. "_Go_."

Sylphiel turned back to her script, flipping a page so that she could pick up where they'd left off. "A-and suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host, singing glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace among men."

The choir began to sing _Angels We Have Heard on High_ as Xellos helped the baby angels file onto the stage. They walked to their places in front of the risers and stayed still, however, one small child didn't stop when she reached her place. She continued to walk, and would've walked clear off the stage if Xellos hadn't run out and grabbed her before she got to the steps. He picked her up and carried her back to her spot, amidst some muffled laughter from the audience. He waved to Filia and shot her a thumbs-up before running back offstage.

"There came Wise Men from the east to worship Him, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

As the choir began to sing _We Three Kings_ and Naga, Pokota, and Zelgadis filed onto the stage, Martina nudged Val again.

_We three kings of Orient are. Bearing gifts, we traverse afar._

"They look awful too." she whispered. "And… what is that Zelgadis is carrying?"

Val looked closer, straining to read the writing on the large can. "…I think it's a ham."

_Field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star. _

"A _ham_? I'll bet he stole it. A little evil for the greater good-"

"No, no. I think it might be the ham from his welfare basket."

_Star of wonder, star of might, star with royal beauty bright,_

Martina paused. "So you mean it's his own ham? He must really hate ham."

"So what if he hates ham?" Val murmured. "It might just be the only thing he's ever given away in his whole life."

_westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light._

Sylphiel took a deep breath to begin her last monologue. After this, it would be the end of her role and she could step back and listen to the music.

"Being warned in a dream that they should not return to their own country, the Wise Men departed another way. The shepherds also departed, praising God for everything they had seen and heard. But Mary kept all of these things and pondered them in her heart."

Bells began to chime, and the choir began to sing _Silent Night_- first softly, and then growing in intensity. The sound of the music reverberated around the room, seeming to bounce off the windows and walls, and grow even greater. It was nearly tangible in the air, with a magic feel that permeated the very being of each person in the room, filling them with an odd calm.

_Sleep in heavenly peace. _

Sleep in heavenly peace.

Gourry noticed that Lina's shoulders were trembling slightly, and he began to reach out to her, thinking she was cold. However, he stopped abruptly when he saw a tear fall from her face onto the manger blankets. "L-Lina…?" he murmured, suddenly glancing around helplessly, looking for someone to do something.

Martina noticed the situation at the manger first. It took her a moment to gather her thoughts enough to speak.

"Val…" she murmured. "…Val, look… Mary's crying… M-Miss Ul Copt!" She turned to look for Filia in the crowd, waving at her and beckoning her to come over and fix the situation.

It took a moment for Martina to realize what she, herself, was saying.

"…Mary's crying…"

* * *

><p>Maria Nisery wheeled her husband out of the church in a wheelchair, steering with one hand and daubing her cheeks with a tissue with the other.<p>

"Oh, Maria, can you believe that was Lina Inverse and the rest of them?" Pestis sobbed. "Th-this was the best Christmas Pageant we've ever had, and I don't know why, but I think it was _them_."

"I always get weepy at the pageant- all the children and the carols…" Maria sniffled. "But you're right. This _was_ the best one, and it should've been the worst."

"There was something different."

"Well, the Angel of the Lord was different."

"I liked that. She had spirit." Pestis chuckled through his tears. "Sometimes you can't even hear the Angel of the Lord. I have to find Filia and tell her… maybe I'll even use some of her ideas in future pageants…"

Maria sighed. "I just wish I'd talked my sister into letting her use little Daisy for the baby Jesus."

"Who _was_ the baby Jesus?"

"It was a doll."

"Maria!" Pestis barked, tapping his glasses. "My vision may never have been 20/20, but I can see well enough to know that was _no_ doll."

Maria was quiet for a moment, thinking it over. "It did seem real, didn't it?"

* * *

><p>"It did seem real, didn't it?" Zelgadis murmured, glancing at the ceiling as he paced back and forth over the stage. Everyone has left the fellowship hall- everyone except the six kids who didn't really know where to go from there. "Like it might have happened just that way. I've always thought that Christmas was just about Jesus, but it turns out that's only part of it. It's about a family with nowhere to go, no place to stay, and nobody they knew. Then, suddenly, arriving from the east… some rich friends."<p>

"Yeah." Naga agreed. "Like our uncle from New Jersey."

The group laughed and Pokota nudged her playfully.

"I think we made it pretty believable! I mean, Lina burping the baby, and the Wise Men bringing _sensible _presents… you can't eat Frankincense, right?"

"And Amelia!" Naga agreed. "_He's in the barn, go see him! _So the shepherds don't have to wander all over the countryside."

After their laughter had died down, they collectively glanced at the girl who was sitting by herself on the edge of the stage. Lina hadn't spoken since the play, and while each of her friends was eager to talk to her, no one really knew what to say. Gourry finally walked over to sit beside her, tugging on her sleeve.

"They're having a party in the basement, you know." he spoke. "What do you say we go drink all the hot chocolate and walk away with all the cookies? Huh?"

Lina shook her head, her smile finally returning. "No thanks. It'll just be kids on a sugar-high running around and fighting over food. I get that enough with you guys around."

As the group chuckled in agreement, Amelia ran over to Lina, holding out the extra candy cane that Filia had given her for Lina's sake. "Here." Amelia offered. "Miss Filia said to give this to you."

Lina gave the girl an affectionate smile. "No, thanks. You keep it- a Christmas gift from me." She stood up, brushing off her pants and digging in her coat pockets for her earrings. "Let's go home." Lina said as she finished placing them back in her ears.

As the group walked out of the fellowship hall and into the cold night air, Gourry and Zelgadis noticed that Lina was still carrying the doll that had been used in the play.

Neither said anything about it.

* * *

><p>"Are there any kids left downstairs?"<p>

"No, everyone's gone home." Filia sighed in relief as she finished turning off lights in the kitchen and joined her family just outside the fellowship hall's doors. She leaned on Xellos' shoulder. "I can't believe it. I just can't believe it."

"What can't you believe? The obscene amount of hot chocolate that fifty children can drink?"

She glanced at him, too tired and relieved to even think of a snarky comeback.

"Hey, you guys? What should we do with this ham?" Odilia held the can in her hands and offered it to Xellos. He took it from her and walked back inside to put it on the kitchen shelf.

"This is Zelgadis' ham from his family's welfare basket, but he wouldn't take it back. He said that it's a present, and you don't take back a present."

"Zelgadis said that?" Odilia's mouth hung open. "He must _hate_ ham."

"You and Martina." Val muttered, giving Odilia a gentle knock over the head.

"The lights are still on in the chapel." Filia pointed across the courtyard. "Should we-?"

"Don't worry about it." Xellos interrupted her. "They're on a timer. They're set to turn off at midnight."

Val pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Y'know, it's almost that time now."

Odilia gasped loudly. "It's almost_ Christmas?!_ Mom, mom! It's almost _Christmas!_"

Filia smiled. "It's almost Christmas, Odilia."

"Xellos, it's almost Christmas!"

"It's almost Christmas, Odile."

"Val, it's-"

"_Hey!_"

The family's conversation stopped as they heard a voice approaching them from across the parking lot. It was a loud voice belonging to a small person, and for those who had just been at the Christmas pageant, it was unmistakable.

"_Hey!_"

"Amelia?" Filia gasped and ran to meet the child. She couldn't figure out any reason why the little girl would be back like this, unless-

Amelia interrupted the woman's train of thought by holding out the object she was carrying. It was the doll, still wrapped in the clothing from the pageant, but it looked… different. The head was no longer crooked, and all the joints looked as good as new. The paint on the face, previously having been tarnished and worn, was now as vibrant as the day the doll had been made. Filia took hold of it, staring in shock at the miracle before her. Amelia, however, just smiled.

"Unto you a child is born."


End file.
